"Forward from Babylon" by Louis Golding is a poignant Jewish historical fiction that intricately explores the immigrant experience and cultural identity within the East End of London. Golding's narrative unfolds as a captivating family saga, delving into the trials and triumphs of the Jewish community amidst a backdrop of social change and assimilation in the pre-World War I era. Through vivid characterization and literary realism, Golding navigates generational conflicts and coming-of-age journeys within the urban landscape, offering readers a compelling glimpse into the complexities of immigrant life. The novel resonates with themes of cultural preservation and adaptation, as characters grapple with maintaining their heritage while embracing the evolving world around them. Golding's masterful storytelling brings to life the vibrancy of the Jewish community and the challenges they faced in navigating the melting pot of urban life. "Forward from Babylon" stands as a timeless testament to Golding's skill as a writer and his ability to capture the nuances of cultural identity and societal change in a richly textured historical context.
Louis Golding was an English writer, best known for his novels at the time, but he also authored short stories, essays, fantasies, travel books, and poetry, which are now completely overlooked. Golding was born in Manchester, Lancashire, to a Ukrainian-Jewish family. He attended Manchester Grammar School and Queen's College, Oxford. He incorporated his Manchester background (as 'Doomington') and Jewish themes in his books, the first of which was published while still an undergraduate (his studies were interrupted by World War I service). Golding cited Edgar Allan Poe and Alfred Lord Tennyson as inspirations on his poetry. His novel Magnolia Street was a success in 1932; it is set in Manchester's Hightown neighborhood during the 1920s. It genuinely depicts a street separated into 'gentile' and 'Jewish' sides. It was a 1939 play for Charles B. Cochran, adapted by Golding and A. E. Rawlinson, and filmed as Magnolia Street Story. Magnolia Street was also adapted by Allan Prior into a BBC Television series of the same name in 1961, which aired for six episodes. Golding stated his political views as "strongly to the left." Golding's letter to Adolf Hitler, an attack on anti-Semitism and Nazism, was published by Hogarth Press in 1932.
